On Fri, 31 May 2019 at 01:08, Joseph Eisenberg <joseph.eisenb...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > I still feel uncomfortable using the word "canal" for small waterways: > the basic meaning of the word "canal" seems to imply a navigable > waterway, just as a "river" is wide enough for a small boat, in > contrast with a stream, but perhaps this is specific to my dialect? > In modern British English, "canal" is usually taken to mean an artificial, navigable waterway. But that was not always the case. Originally it just meant an artificial channel with water in it; the navigable kind, particularly the ones designed for narrowboats, were called "navigation canals." They came to dominate public discourse to the extent that the general public equated "canal" with the navigable kind and forgot about the others. What all that means for OSM usage is up for (probably endless) discussion. BTW, if we end up with tagging for the function of artificial waterways, it would be nice if it included leats. -- Paul
_______________________________________________ Tagging mailing list Tagging@openstreetmap.org https://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/tagging
